Siding material



Jan. 9, 1934. F. H. RAHR 1,942,449

SIDING MATERIAL Filed Feb. 4, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Frederic H Ram/1r ggwmw ATTORNEY F. H. RAHR SIDING MATERIAL jam 9, 1934.

Filed Feb. {1, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Fredar 'c Fd/lr BY ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims. (Cl. 20-5) This invention relates to composition building material, and is particularly concerned with a form of waterproof composition material designed especially for covering the side walls of 8 buildings.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a waterproof material to be used in lieu of face brick and constructed to simulate closely the appearance of brick. Another object is to provide a material of the character indicated,

which will be of light weight, simple and inexpensive to make and economical to apply.

Other objects will appear from the more detailed description to follow and from the accom- 'panying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 shows a section of the material as it appears when applied to a wall or the like,

Figure 2 is a view in perspective of a unit constructed according to the invention,

Figure 3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in cross section, illustrating, more or less conventionally, the principal stage in the preferred method of making the material.

Figure 4 is a view in plan, of one of the form ing cylinders shown in Figure 3,

Figure 5 illustrates in plan, the formation of 12 of a size approximating the usual form of units at the stage shown in Figure 3,

Figure 6 shows, more or less conventionally, the finishing stages in the fabrication of the product.

The siding material made in accordance with the invention, briefly stated, consists of a waterproofed fibrous sheet material having selected areas of one face thereof formed at regularly spaced intervals with portions which stand out in relief to simulate the appearance of individual bricks on the exposed face of 'the usual types of brick construction, the intervening portions being depressed inwardly from the outer plane of the portions in relief, to simulate the mortar lines between adjacent bricks in ordinary brick facing.

If desired, the composition material may be so formed as to constitute the entire structure without other backing, but preferably the composition material is aflixed to a base or foundation comprising saturated felt such as that produced in the roofing industry by impregnating sheets of fibrous felt with molten asphalt or the like. The waterproof composition which is formed'to simulate brick according to the invention, is of a plastm nature and may comprise a homogeneous.

mass of fibre, asphalt or similar bitumen and hardening fillers, such as clay, slate dust, talc,

sawdust, mica and the like. Advantageously,.

this plastic composition may be made by macerating, at elevated temperatures, waste or scrap asphalt saturated and coated roofing material, compounded as desired with mineral or other filler, and augmented if necessary, by additional binder, and/or fibre of suitable character, it being essential only that the mass be homogeneous and sufiiciently plastic to permit its formation under pressure, as hereinafter to be described, and yet capable of setting and hardening to a firm and coherent layer.

In Figures 1 and 2 the novel form of siding material is illustrated in the form of units, which for convenience, may be approximately 36 inches in length and 6 to 12 inches wide. As here shown, the base or foundation, consisting preferably of asphalt saturated roofing felt, is indicated by the numeral 10. Upon one face of the foundation there is aflixed the layer of hardened plastic material 11, this layer occupying substantially the lower half of the unit and extending from the bottom edge of the unit upwardly for a distance slightly in excess of the extent to which the units are to be exposed in use. By suitable pressure means the plastic layer is formed into spaced rectangular relief portionsv brick. These relief portions are spaced longitudinally of the unit by relatively narrow indentations 13 of a width corresponding substantially to the space between adjacent bricks in ordinary brick facing. Depressions 13a of a width half that of the depressions 13 are formed each end of the unit. The plastic layer extends upwardly beyond the upper edges of the brick-simulating portions 12 to a line indicated at 14 parallel to the upper edge of the unit. The transverse depressions 13, 13a, merge at their upper ends with a longitudinally extending depressed portion 15, terminating in a shoulder 5, 16 which extends the full length of the unit and parallel to the upper edge thereof, this depressed portion 15 being of a transverse width substantially equal to the space between the adjacent brick-simulating portions. The ribbon 17 of plastic material between the shoulder 16 and the upper'terminus 14, may, if desired, be of transversely tapering cross-section. The outer surface of the brick simulating portions 12, is preferably coated with waterproof material such as asphalt, in which may be embedded crushed mineral grit 18 of any suitable color.

The units may be applied; preferably, by nailing them,'in' successive courses to the side walls OI abuilding, in the manner shown in Figure 1, with the lower edge of each unit abutting the shoulder 16 of the adjacent units in the preceding course, the nails being preferably driven at points above the shoulders 16. It will be noted that the shoulders 16 thus act as a positive guide to ensure accurate alignment of units when laid. Since only the outer surfaces of the brick-simulating portions 12 are surfaced with a crushed mineral grit of a color like that of brick, the depressed portions 13, 13a and 15 between the brick-simulating portions 12 being of a substantially different color, the material when laid produces an appearance in simulation of ordinary brick. It has heretofore been proposed to produce composition material adapted to be laid upon side walls in simulation of brick siding, but the products as heretofore suggested consisted essentially of flexible fibrous strips formed with transverse notches defining tabs similar in shape and function to those of ordinary squarebutt strip shingles of commerce. In that form, the tabs are provided with a surface of mineral grit of a color like that of brick, the strips being laid in successive courses so that the space between the tabs is outlined by the darker color of the overlapped portions of the underlying strip, to simulate the mortar between adjacent bricks. The construction provided by the present invention eliminates the necessity of cutting through the unit and thus effects a substantial economy in the amount of material required to cover a given area. It also enables the production of strips which simulate bricks more closely than the material heretofore used for this P1111 58- In Figures 3 to 6 inclusive, I have illustrated conventionally, a method of producing the units as shown in Figures 1 and 2. For this purpose, a pair of spaced rotatable rolls 21, 22 are provided, the roll 21 having a substantially smooth surface, and the roll 22 being formed with a series of depressions 23, protuberances 24 and stepped circumferential depressions 25, 26, all arranged to form the plastic material into an embossed pattern, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. This roll is also provided with longitudinally extending knives 2'7, 28, at diametrically .opposite points to sever the ends of successive units as they are formed during the rotation of the rolls. A circumferential knife 29 is provided on the roll 22, midway of the length thereof. Where a foundation sheet of felt is employed, this may be lead. as shown at 30, from a suitable source of supply, over the roll 21, and the plastic composition is supplied from a hopper 31 mounted above the rolls to deliver the plastic composition between the nip of the rolls and onto the foundation sheet. As the rolls revolve, the plastic material is compacted and forced into the depressions formed in the surface of the roll 22 with the result that the plastic material is caused to take the desired formation, and simultaneously to be adherently united with the foundation sheet. The rolls are preferably so dimensioned and the depressions of the roll 27 are preferably so arranged as to permit the simultaneous formation of two units side by side, longitudinally of the roll, during each half revolution thereof, the circumferential knife 29 functioning to separate the units of each pair as they are formed, and the longitudinal knives 2'7, 28 serving to cut the successive pairs one from another.

for applying a film or layer of asphalt coating material to the upper surfaces of the relief portions 12, care being taken to prevent the coating material from reaching the surfaces of the portions 13, 13a, 15 and 17. The units with the faces of the relief portions thus coated are then passed under the hopper 37 for applying crushed mineral grit to the coated surfaces, the grit then being rolled or otherwise caused to become partially embedded in the coating layer. grit may be of any color suitable for the effect desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a strip comprising a relatively thick layer of asphaltic material composed of a mixture of bitumen, fibre and hardening fillers, said layerhaving spaced areas of the lower portion of one face thereof brought into relief by relatively narrow depressions extending transversely of the strip and by a coplanar depression ex, ding longitudinally of the strip, and a deprggp .extending longitudinally thereof below th'splane of said coplanar depressions and defining a shoulder substantially parallel to the lower edge of the strip.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a strip adapted to be laid with similar strips in successive overlapping courses upon the side walls of buildings to simulate brick facing, said strip comprising a foundation of waterproofed felt having united to the lower part of one face thereof, a relatively thick layer of a hardened plastic waterproof material composed of a mixture of bitumen, fibre and hardening fillers, said layer having areas thereof brought into relief by relatively narrow depressions extending transversely of the strip, and by a coplanar depression extending longitudinally of the strip and joining the upper ends of the transversely extending depressions.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a strip adapted to be laid with similar strips in successive The mineral...

overlapping courses upon the side walls of buildings to simulate brick facing, said strip comprising a foundation of waterproofed felt having united to the lower part of one face thereof a relatively thick layer of a hardened plastic waterproof material composed of a mixture of bitumen, fibre and hardening fillers, said layerv having areas thereof broughtinto relief by relatively narrow depressions extending transversely of the strip and by a coplanar depression extending longitudinally of the strip and joining the upper ends of the transversely extending depressions, said depressions being of a color diflerent from that of the areas in relief.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a strip adapted to be laid with similar strips in successive overlapping courses upon the side walls of buildings to simulate brick facing, said strip comprising a foundation of waterproofed felt having united to the lower part of one face thereof, a relatively thick layer of a hardened plastic waterproof material composed of a mixture of bitumen, fibre and hardening fillers, said layer having areasthereof brought into relief by relatively narrow depressions extending transversely of the strip and by a coplanar depression extending longitudinally of the strip and joining the upper ends of the transversely extending depressions, said areas in relief being coated with asphaltic material and surfaced with mineral grit of a color contrasting with that of said depressions.

5. As 'a new article of manufacture, a strip The units as thus delivered from the forming adapted to be laid with similar strips in successive rolls are then passed beneath a coating r011 36 Overlapping courses upon the side walls of buildings to simulate brick facing, said strip comprising a foundation of waterproof felt having united to the lower part of one face thereof a relatively thick layer of a hardened plastic waterproof material composed of a mixture of bitumen, fibre and hardening fillers, said layer having "areas thereof brought into relief by relatively narrow depressions extending transversely of the strip, and by a coplanar depression extending longitudinally of the strip and Joining the upper ends of the transversely extending depressions, said layer being formed with a depression extending longitudinally of the strip in a plane inwardly of the plane of the first-named depressions, and

defining a shoulder substantially parallel to the lower edge of the strip.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a strip adapted to be laid with similar strips in successive overlapping courses upon the side walls of buildlugs to simulate brick facing, said strip comprls- 4 ing a foundation of waterproof felt having united .to the lower part of one face thereof a relatively thick layer of a hardened plastic waterproof material composed of a mixture of bitumen, fibre and hardening fillers, said layer having areas thereof brought into relief by relatively narrow depressions extending transversely of the strip and by a coplanar depression extending longitudinally of the strip and joining the upper ends 7 

